


Too pretty to die

by CastielAndDean



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Books, Bull and his dragon-love, Bull blackmailing the Inquisitor, Dogs, Dorian being cute, Dorian hurt, Gay Sex, Lavellan caring for his not-yet-boyfriend, M/M, Minor Cassandra Pentaghast/Varric Tethras, Varric secretly crushing on Cassandra, bull is bantering, cassandra being annoyed like all the time, cassandra has a crush on varric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:20:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22173223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CastielAndDean/pseuds/CastielAndDean
Summary: Dorian gets hurt in one of the fights with the Red Templars. Inquisitor Cailan Lavellan decides to take a short break from finding traces of Corypheus' activities until the mage is back on his feet. But what should he do with his free time in Skyhold? Maybe he should look after Dorian ... which ends in something everyone except Cailan had seen coming.
Relationships: Male Inquisitor/Dorian Pavus
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here you can take a look at Cailan Lavellan if you're interested how my Inquisitor looks :)  
> http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/e8bc/kjdq3gbbph3e35jzg.jpg  
> He's quite a cutie but can be very protective when it comes to his friends and he also loves to drop some sassy answers now and then.

‘Dorian! No!’

Cailan jumped over the rock to his left, thrusting one of his sharp daggers into the throat of the last Red Templar that was left from the little group they were fighting against. One of them had been cunning and sneaked away from the group to attack Dorian from the back. And the mage had been hopelessly defenceless with his staff against the weapon of the enemy.

‘Take that, you bastard!’ Cailan ripped out his weapon from the blood-gargling Templar who fell down to the ground after a last rattling breath.

‘Inquisitor! Is he alright?’ Cassandra quickly approached to where Dorian was unconsciously lying on the ground. A stain of blood was visible on his shoulder and neck down to his back and Cailan lowered his head to examine how bad the wound was.

‘I hope so,’ he replied to the female warrior, not looking away from the mage for one second. He felt his heart beating faster than usual, but that surely was a result of the recent fight.

‘Let’s take him to the next camp to get him to a healer,’ Cailan said, stood up and looked out for the Iron Bull who was looting their dead enemies for supplies or useful weapons. ‘Bull! Can you carry Dorian to the camp by the river?’

‘Lemme guess: moustache boy got knocked out, right?’ Bull laughed and pouched a little sack of coin into his pockets, then he approached to the two other members of the team who where still on their feet.

‘Man, he’s heavier than I thought,’ Bull mumbled when he lifted Dorian on his arms. ‘But you must know, Inquisitor, mustn't you?’

Cailan turned his head around to look at Bull with an irritated look. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Oh, come on.’ A big grin revealing his teeth appeared on the Qunari’s face and he raised his eyebrows meaningfully. ‘Don’t tell me you two are not a thing.’

The Inquisitor nearly stumbled over a rock that was laying on his way. Then he glanced at the Iron Bull who was clearly suppressing a loud laughter. ‘I don’t know what you mean, Bull.’

‘Cassandra.’ The Qunari now directly addressed the Seeker who was rolling her eyes bugged. ‘You think the Inquisitor and Dorian are looking at each other with this _look_ , don’t you?’

‘I don’t know what kind of _look_ you mean, Bull, but leave me out of this.’ Her voice sounded annoyed, but there was no doubt she really didn’t want to be involved.

‘I mean the look that’s on your face when you look at Varric.’

Now it was Cassandra who nearly fell down because she didn’t pay attention to the bumpy ground she was walking on for a moment. Cailan was slightly amused when he saw the horrified look on the warrior’s face.

‘What are you trying to imply, Bull? I’m not looking at Varric like _that!’_

‘So you know exactly which look I mean.’ Bull grinned at her with satisfaction on his face and Cassandra grunted while she was trying to cover her rosy blushed cheeks with her hands.

‘Ugh. Fine,’ she said. ‘But leave me out of this, Qunari. So yes, I have noticed it, too, but I respect the privacy of the Inquisitor too much to even waste a single thought about asking him about his love life. And so should you.’

‘Guys, can we please _stop_ this? Dorian is hurt badly and we should definitely take him to a healer. I know the camp at the river has one today. He definitely needs the help as soon as possible, so stop arguing and walk faster.’

The bossy tone in Cailan’s voice made the both warriors shut up immediately. Relieved, the silver haired elf made his way forward in silence, but couldn’t help thinking about what his companions said.

Was it really that obvious that he cared for Dorian, maybe even a little bit more than you normally would for a friend?

When they arrived at the camp, the healer and Bull who was still carrying Dorian immediately vanished in his tent while Cailan equipped new healing potions and wound bandages. By no means he wanted anyone to see how worried he was about the mage. Damn, he was the Inquisitor! He definitely should act like him and not like a angry duck mum waiting for one of her chicken to cross the river and being worried about if it would make it.

‘Harding, any news on the High Dragon the scouts spotted a few hours ago?’

‘No, Inquisitor.’ The dwarf lady smiled at him and crossed her arms while her look drifted behind Cailan for a moment before it rested on him again like nothing happened.

‘Oh, come on.’ With a deep sigh, Cailan laid his fingers on his forehead and shook it in disbelief. ‘Why does everyone think …’

The dwarf lady burst out laughing and the Inquisitor felt very uneasy. Even Harding seemed to find the whole situation funny.

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you,’ she apologised when she saw his desperate face.

‘It’s fine,’ he mumbled, but then raised his voice so everyone could hear what he had to say. ‘But everyone who thinks my private business is more important than the tasks of the Inquisition shall leave now. I can’t handle this nonsense.’

The whole camp fell silent. Only the sounds of the nearby river and some chirping birds were reaching Cailan’s ears and he breathed out with a deep relief. Then he turned around quickly on his heels and stepped into the healer’s tent with his head raised high and his back stretched.

‘How’s he doing?’ he asked the tall big elf who was dressed in a long white toga, trying not to sound more worried than a general would be about one of his wounded soldiers. But he couldn’t help looking at his wounded friend for a moment longer than he should so his neutral question was definitely not neutral anymore.

‘The blade cut deep into his flesh,’ the healer said. ‘He will be fine in a few days, but he better should rest at Skyhold with someone keeping an eye on him. Although I couldn’t find any traces of venom or other taints, we can never be sure with what cunning ideas our enemies come up to weaken us.’

Cailan nodded and took another glance at Dorian. His face expression was calm and he looked like he was just sleeping. But the bandaged left shoulder told another story.

‘I will return to Skyhold, too,’ the Inquisitor heard himself saying and the healer raised an eyebrow.

‘Wasn’t there a dragon nearby you wanted to –’

‘I know. But I forgot an important item that will help me beat the dragon at Skyhold. I’ll return for the dragon as soon as I got it.’

What a low excuse – and the healer definitely thought so too by the expression on his face. But he didn’t reply anything, just nodded and said he would prepare a safe way to bring the wounded mage back to the castle in the mountains.

When Cailan left the tent, Cassandra and Bull were already waiting for him. The Inquisitor quickly told them what the plan was and they agreed that it was best to return to Skyhold, also because they needed a replacement in the party for Dorian. Solas and Vivienne were the only two mages that were qualified for this job, but Cailan didn’t really want to bring any of them along. He hadn’t spoken to Vivienne for weeks because he did not agree with her opinions on specific topics that concerned the Inquisition. And Solas … let’s say he was a quiet companion who didn’t fit into their usually very talkative and funny bantering party. Quite sure Cassandra and Bull would disagree to on taking one of them either on their explorations and fights, Cailan thought about taking a break for a few days from the missions. He hadn’t rested in weeks and his body was already paying the price for the lack of it. His legs were a bit shaky and he couldn’t concentrate on what he had to do.

‘What do you two think about taking a little break?’ he asked his companions while they were heading for Skyhold. ‘I could use a ton of sleep and research until Dorian is ready to join us again. My body aches for rest.’

‘Brilliant idea, boss,’ Bull said with a very sarcastic undertone. ‘And who will search for traces and hints that could lead us to what Corypheus will do next? We were pretty close to one in the Hinterlands before Moustachy dropped out.’

‘Wait, did you just call Dorian by a new nickname?’ Cassandra was a bit shocked by the look on her face, but then she grinned. ‘And since when do you care about Corypheus? Come on, Bull, we all know you just wanted to slay that dragon.’

Cailan couldn’t help but laughing. The Seeker was definitely right, Bull was so excited for every dragon they heard of that he was always asking when they would fight it.

‘If you promise me we will kill that dragon after Dorian is on his feet again, I might consider thinking about taking a break.’

‘Bull blackmailing the Inquisitor … Dorian getting injured … Oh, what a day,’ Cassandra grunted, but she clearly was amused.

‘We have a deal, Bull,’ Cailan agreed and made Cassandra’s jaw drop for a moment before she shook her head in disbelief, sighed and didn’t say another word until they passed the big gate of Skyhold.


	2. Chapter 2

Cailan woke up with a feeling of utterly relaxation. Sunlight fell into his quarters when he opened his eyes so he sat up in bed, stretched his body and sighed deeply contented. His body felt recovered and the tensions he had felt when he fell asleep were gone. The Inquisitor didn’t feel this well in ages.

When he put on his blue shirt and the light brown pants, he heard a knocking at his door and hurried to get dressed.

‘Come in,’ he said with a loud voice because his room was big and the door was at the end of the stairs. While slipping into his boots, he saw Cassandra appearing between the stone handrail, walking up the stairs into his quarters.

‘Thank the Maker, you’re awake.’ Her voice sounded relieved and she breathed out before she stopped a few metres away from him. ‘The last time I checked on you, you were sleeping deeply.’

‘How often did you come here?’ the silver haired elf asked with a lenient smile, closing the buttons on his right boot.

‘About six times in the last two days.’

Cailan looked up at her with an irritated look. ‘I have been sleeping for two days? Wow. That’s a new record.’

‘You needed the rest, Inquisitor.’ Cassandra smiled at him, then she looked around like she was searching for something while she added, ‘Our mage returned to his quarters, too, in case you are interested.’

He could just stop himself from a relieved loud sigh in the last moment to nod instead. No, he was _not_ caring more for Dorian than he should. And that’s what he would show Cassandra now.

‘Thank you for informing me about this, Cassandra. I am glad he is alright.’

‘Will you check on Dorian then? He said to the Qunari yesterday that he was, pardon, _in the fucking mood to slay that bastard of a dragon_ with you, Inquisitor, and Bull was fire and flame for that idea, but let’s not rush things. I think you should both get some rest before we travel again.’

‘A great idea. I hope you and Bull got some rest, too?’

‘Don’t worry about us. We’re fine. I will leave now and let someone bring you breakfast.’

Cailan shook his head. ‘That is not necessary. I laid in bed for the last two days. I think some fresh air before getting my meal would be amazing.’

So they walked out of the quarters into the main hall where everyone greeted Cailan with a smile or a short ‘Good morning, Inquisitor!’ When they passed Varric, Cassandra acted like he was not there and Cailan remembered what Bull said about the way she looked at Varric. Which should, according to the Qunari, be the same one Cailan and Dorian gave each other. But that was bullshit. Literally.

When Cailan finally reached Dorian’s quarters, his heart was beating a bit faster than usual. But that surely was because he had to climb a few stairs to get there so he was not heeding it more than necessary and knocked at the wooden door. 

‘Come in.’

Dorian was lying in bed, his head bedded on a fluffy, but patched brown pillow. He smiled when Cailan entered the room.

‘Hello, Inquisitor. I thought you’d never walk your pretty ass in here.’

‘Good to see you too, Dorian.’ Cailan smiled and stepped towards the bed, taking a few quick looks around the room. There was not much in here except for the bed and a little bedside table next to it, a bigger old wooden desk with a plain chair in front of it and a bookshelf at the wall next to the door. Not much personal stuff, but not even Cailan had some in his room. Since Haven had been destroyed, they nearly lost everything except for the things they were carrying with themselves that day, like gold coins or some letters. 

‘Very cosy in here,’ the Inquisitor said and finally reached Dorian’s bed. He stopped next to where his hand was laying on the old mattress.

‘You think so? I was reminded of my old nursery when I first entered this room. Not the best memories, I must admit, but I don’t complain - at least I have something in here I like.’

‘And that would be?’

The smile on Dorian’s face widened and the tips of his moustache raised a bit more towards his cheeks. ‘You.’

That wasn’t the answer Cailan had seen coming so he quickly looked away, grabbing his neck with his hand like whenever he was feeling nervous or unwell. 

‘How’s your wound?’ he tried to change the subject, but when he got no reply, he bit his lower lip and warily glanced in Dorian’s direction again. What he saw were two gray, intensely staring eyes that were pinned on him and a pleased smile.

‘I’ve had worse,’ the mage said, still looking at Cailan like he was the most valuable object Dorian had ever spotted which made the leader of the Inquisition feel more uneasy than he already was. Was this the look Bull was talking about …?

‘But as you mention it now, the bandage should be changed. Would you mind doing me the favor? I cannot reach that spot of my body very well.’

Relieved that Dorian jumped at the change of topic, Cailan made a step forward to the upper end of the bed where he now saw the slightly blood-soaked bandage at his companion’s shoulder. Didn’t Cassandra say he was fine again? This did not look like it.

‘You sure you’re feeling well? The bandage is bloody,’ Cailan determined as he was grabbing the fresh bandages from the little bedside table and unrolled it, then gave it to Dorian to hold it while he was searching for the knot to open the used one.

‘I wasn’t lying when I told Cassandra that I would love to fight that Dragon with you,’ Dorian said and just shrugged his shoulders, but Cailan saw a painful expression on his face for one second and sighed.

‘Dorian, don’t play tough now. I can _see_ that you’re not fine, so don’t pretend you are. Maybe Cassandra believed you, but you cannot fool me.’

‘I see, I see. Nothing slips the attention of the Inquisitor.’

Cailan huffed, but couldn’t help smiling a little, unknotting the bandage now. It was more bloody on the inside and when he finally pulled it off Dorian’s skin, he took a sharp breath. Black scabs edged the wound that was still not fully closed. Fresh blood was visible in the daylight that flooded through the windows inside the small room.

‘When did you get that checked for the last time, Dorian? It doesn’t look so good.’

‘But I know what does.’ Suddenly, Cailan felt a warm touch at his cheek and looked up in surprise. Dorian was touching him gently with a warm smile on his face and it felt good - no, _very_ good.

‘Don’t try to distract me now,’ Cailan grunted, but his voice didn’t sound as harsh as he wanted it to. Damn, why did this man have such power over him, even being able to make him feeling flustered all of a sudden? He was the Inquisitor! He usually did not get distracted so easily. If he did, he would have been dead even a long time ago.

‘Guess I already did by the look on your face and the blush of your cheeks,’ Dorian said meaningfully and raised his eyebrows to emphasise his words which made Cailan grunt again.

‘This is serious! Stop flirting with me and focus on your healing, you idiot.’

‘First, stop using the _Inquisitor voice_ , it doesn’t work on me and you know it. Second, if you think I am flirting with you, then you should see me flirting _for real_ \- which I’d love to show you, by the way. But it’s only funny if you’re joining me.’

Cailan didn’t know what to say. The wound on Dorian’s shoulder must hurt pretty badly and all he was caring about was flirting with him?! Not deferring to Dorian’s words, he carried on bandaging his wounded shoulder. After a few moments of silence, the mage sighed loudly and said, ‘Fine, you win! I will stop now and let the wound get checked by a healer today, alright?’

‘Good boy.’ Cailan couldn’t hold back his victorious grin.

‘I’m not a dog. Stop treating me like one - or I will demand my reward now.’

‘And that would be?’ 

When Dorian didn’t answer, the Inquisitor knotted the ends of the bandages together so it wouldn’t slip when the mage moved and looked at his friend then afterwards. He noticed that he got very close to him because of his treatment on the shoulder and wanted to stand up to bring some distance between them again when Dorian grabbed his elbow and pulled him back.

‘Don’t leave yet. Please. It’s great we finally have some time alone, don’t you think? After all this exhausting trips to the Storm Coast and the Hinterlands … and with annoying audience around.’ 

That addition to his last sentence made the Inquisitor laugh a little. ‘Who do you mean by audience? Cassandra and Bull?’

‘Especially them. You take them everywhere like you walk a bunch of puppies you can never leave out of sight.’

‘But then you’re one of the puppies, too,’ Cailan remarked and his grin widened. This talk was more enjoyable than the one before. 

‘I hope I’m the prettiest one then. Everything else would not be acceptable!’

Was Dorian indirectly asking him if he was interested in one of his other companions? Such a clever man. Cailan shook his head in astonishment but decided not to give Dorian what he wanted to hear and replied, ‘You’re definitely the one with the fluffiest fur, I have to admit that.’

‘Does that mean you like the one with the snarky barking better then or the one-eyed puppy?’

‘Snarky is a pretty clever one and One-Eye is strong. But I’m not interested in who’s barking louder or who fights better.’

‘I see.’

Cailan raised an eyebrow after Dorian’s short answer. He had expected to go on with his childish Do-You-Like-Me-Better game but Dorian seemed to be fine with what the Inquisitor said. He pulled his hand back from the elf’s elbow, yawned and let himself sink back into the big pillow.

‘Guess I’ll leave you be then. Rest a bit and don’t forget to let the wound be checked.’ With this words said, Cailan finally stood up and stepped towards the door. His hand was already touching the door knob when he heard Dorian say, ‘I could fancy a good piece of meat and some enjoyable company this evening.’ 

Cailan smiled and felt his heart beating faster in anticipation. ‘I’d love to eat some good meat, too,’ he replied and left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

When the sun was about to set, Cailan’s stomach was as empty as Skyhold's rain barrels after three weeks of no rain. It was growling when he went down the steps from his quarters to the main hall. After he left Dorian’s quarters, he grabbed some books from the library to research about the indigenous dragons and also to maybe find something useful to defeat Corypheus. How many hours he spent on his bed, sitting cross-legged on the soft blanket with the books scattered around him he did not know anymore when he looked up and saw the evening was already dawning. In the library he met Solas who was also returning some books. They spoke a few words before they parted ways again. 

‘Good evening, Inquisitor,’ Varric greeted when the elf approached him at the entry of the main hall. ‘Hope you had some time to rest. We didn't have much time to talk this morning, but Cassandra told me you were sleeping like a baby.’

‘Interesting comparison.’ Cailan laughed and gave the dwarf a happy smile. ‘But yes, indeed, I was sleeping for very long. That’s why I need something to eat now.’

‘Enjoy your meal then.’ The dwarf sat down at the table next to the door that was leading to the library and pulled out pergament and a quill. When Cailan raised an eyebrow, he just shrugged and mumbled, ‘Cassandra wants to read the next chapter of _Swords & Shields _ very badly and I could definitely use a few extra coins of gold.’

Reminded of Bull’s words again about _the look,_ Cailan snorted into his fist because he couldn’t believe that Varric was also liking Cassandra more than he would ever admit. It seemed like Bull was a very good observer.

‘See you later then!’ Cailan yelled over his shoulder, already halfway out of the main hall, leaving Varric in confusion about the Inquisitor’s reaction to his writing.

Herald’s Rest was already full of guests. Some of them were soldiers that were looking for relaxation after a long period of marching through rough and dangerous areas, others were familiar to Cailan - Iron Bull, Cole, Sera and this evening, also Dorian. He was already sitting at a table next to the stairs with a glass of wine in front of him. As soon as he spotted Cailan, he ruffled his hair quickly as if he wanted to perfect his hairstyle. That made the Inquisitor giggle a little, then he went to the bartender dwarf to order a beer. 

‘Good to see you, Your Worship. You’re looking good.’

‘Good evening, Cabot. Thank you. Seems like the sleep did wonders to my look, everyone keeps complimenting me.’

The bartender laughed throatily, then handed over the ordered cup of beer to Cailan. ‘You’re unbelievably smart, Inquisitor. Enjoy your drink.’ 

But before Cabot could fully turn away, Cailan stopped him by clearing his throat, then asking if Dorian had already ordered a meal.

‘No, he didn’t. When I asked what he wanted, he said he was waiting for someone to join him.’

‘Bring us two plates of your best meat, some potatoes and vegetables then,’ Cailan requested and went away afterwards. Dorian was already expecting him by the eager look on his face. Pleased with the fresh bandage on the mage’s shoulder, the elf let himself sink down on the wooden chair on the opposite of Dorian, leaned his elbow onto the table and rested his head in his hand, then he said, ‘I see you took my advice and saw a healer.’

‘How could I not? You urged me to go like my life was depending on it.’

‘It was, somehow, don’t you think so? I couldn’t risk losing you.’

The Tevinter mage raised his eyebrows and Cailan realised what he just said. 

‘I mean, you’re one of my best companions with your … you know, your magic, it’s really helpful against enemies and creatures.’

Internally sighing, Cailan bet his ass he would’ve won the award for the best argumentation with this statement. 

‘Solas and Vivienne are also mages,’ Dorian said, but there was a slight grin underneath his moustache that made Cailan even more nervous than he already was.

‘I know, but, you … umm, you and Cassandra and Bull are the strongest company.’

_Stop speaking nonsense,_ the elf exhorted himself and couldn’t help sighing out loudly.

‘What’s the matter, Inquisitor? You seem a little … frustrated. Am I peeving you in any way? If so, I am truly sorry.’

By the sound of his voice, Dorian definitely wasn’t. Before Cailan could reply anything, Cabot brought their meals and the Inquisitor was relieved he didn’t have to say anything at all. While they were eating, Cailan thought about how not to make the evening more awkward than it already was. 

Cailan was swallowing his last piece of meat when Iron Bull joined them at their table.

‘Hello, boss,’ he greeted and let himself slump onto the chair next to Dorian. ‘And hello, Moustachy.’

When hearing himself called by this nickname, Dorian spit out a bit of the food he was chewing on and turned his head to the Qunari, his face full of embarrassment and irritation.

‘Maker’s breath, did you just call me by a _nickname?!’_

Iron Bull started to laugh, clearly enjoying Dorian’s disgust who was mumbling something Cailan couldn’t hear because the laughter of the Qunari drowned every other noise in the room. After he stopped, the tavern remained silent for a moment before everyone was starting to continue where they left of before Bull interrupted them.

‘It’s great to see how much you like the name. I’m pretty sure the boss will call you by it soon, too.’

Dorian’s jaw dropped down, he looked from Bull to Cailan and back with such a desperate look Cailan nearly couldn’t hold back the laugh that crawled up his throat, but he resisted to not make Dorian feel worse than he already did. 

‘If you’ll do that, Inquisitor, I swear by the Maker, I will burn this fortress down to a single stone. Then you can search for a new place to prepare yourself to fight that bloody ancient pretend-to-be-god.’

Cabot came to their table again, serving a plate with elaborately decorated fruits. 

‘Sorry, but we didn’t order that,’ Dorian said to the bartender, obviously very relieved of the change of topic. But the dwarf just shrugged and walked away.

‘I ordered them for you,’ Bull said between two sips from his drink. ‘Since you two looked at each other so desperately longing during your meal, I thought you would want to taste something more … sweet.’

And there they were again. Bull’s assumption of Cailan’s feelings towards Dorian made the elf feel very uneasy. With a sudden sprouting of anger, Cailan faced Bull and asked harshly, ‘Why do you think you can make me do something I obviously don’t want to do?’

A shadow was falling over Bull’s eye for a moment, but then his happy face was back. ‘Sorry, boss, but sometimes you’re just incredibly stranded. I mean, come on. You two creep around each other like two dogs that don’t know how to catch the other one’s tail.’

‘I think I know very well what I’m doing, Bull.’ Cailan was really angry now but decided not to pick a quarrel in a public place. ‘Now take that fruits and eat them by yourself. I still have a lot of work to do. Excuse me.’

Quicker than he wanted to, the Inquisitor jumped to his feet and left the tavern. He would pay Cabot another day for the meal and drink, but for now he just had to clear his head.

When he had reached the stone stairs that led up to the main hall, he heard Dorian calling out for him.

‘Please wait, Inquisitor.’

But Cailan didn’t stop. He even walked faster and rushed past Varric who was still writing, ripping the door to the library open and nearly running the stairs upwards. He only stopped when letting himself sink down onto the armchair that was standing next to one of the bookshelves, breathing in and out deeply to calm himself down.

Even before he opened his eyes again he knew Dorian was standing in front of him. It was impossible for Cailan not to notice his presence because it felt like a warm wave of compassion hitting and slowing him down immediately.

‘I am sorry, Inquisitor. Bull definitely ran riot in the tavern. Usually he’s not such a bad company at all when we’re not on a mission.’ Dorian’s voice was soft, nearly soothing.

‘Usually? You two spent some time together more often then?’ That was the first question that came to Cailan’s mind, and he was really curious now.

‘We share an alcoholic stupor from now and then,’ Dorian replied. ‘But nothing like you and I.’

The relaxation Cailan had felt for a moment vanished and he felt his body tightening again. It was now or never, wasn’t it? ‘What do you and I share in your opinion, exactly?’ he asked nearly inaudible, avoiding Dorian’s look because he couldn’t bear his soft expression anymore without jumping to his feet and kissing him immediately.

‘I don’t know if you’re aware, but the assumption in some corners of this ragged old fortress is that you and I are … intimate. And I guess Bull just wanted to see if there’s a jot of truth in it.’ 

That wasn’t the answer Cailan had expected, but he couldn’t help but smiling. Slowly standing up, he said, ‘That’s not the worst assumption he could have, is it?’

Dorian’s moustache tips shivered a little when he obviously tried to hide back his upcoming smile. ‘I don’t know. Is it?’ he asked with the most innocent voice Cailan ever heard which made him laugh a little.

‘Do you always answer a question with a question?’

Raising his eyebrows, Dorian shrugged. ‘Would you like me to answer in some other fashion?’ 

With a heart nearly jumping of joy, Cailan smiled and answered, ‘If you’re capable.’


	4. Chapter 4

There hadn’t been a lot of distance after the Inquisitor got up from the chair, but in the next moment there wasn’t any left. Dorian’s moustache tickled the skin between Cailan’s philtrum and nose when their lips met and a shiver of warm tinglings went down the elf’s spine.

‘You realise this makes the rumors somewhat true?’ Cailan mumbled when Dorian backed off a few inches. 

‘Mhm … evidently. But I think we should explore the full truth of them in private. Too much of unwanted audience around here.’

By quickly looking around, Cailan now realised they were watched. Mother Giselle was standing at the table where the Inquisitor usually dropped loot from their explorings for Enchanter Fiona to examine.. When she noticed that the two men were looking in her direction, she acted like she was busy with something that was laying on the table. 

‘I know a good place where we’re having the opportunity to.’ Cailan grabbed Dorian’s hand and didn’t care about the indignant noise that came from behind him when he tugged the mage down the stairs into Solas’ little room that was - bless the Maker - empty. Solas’ opinion on holding Dorian’s hand was one of the things the Inquisitor did not want to deal with right now.

‘Do you really want to -’ Dorian wasn’t able to finish his question because Cailan interrupted him by saying, ‘I don’t care about the others, Dorian.’

‘Have it your way then.’ 

Cailan was able to hear the smiling in Dorian’s words although he did not turn around but continued walking to his quarters, not letting go of his crush’s warm hand. As soon as the mage closed the door behind them, Cailan felt pushed towards the stone wall, being kissed passionately. That felt incredibly good and he pulled Dorian closer by grabbing his fluffy black hair and his back.

‘Ouch!’

Immediately he let go of the mage, bit his lower lip and looked at him with eyes that were saying ‘Sorry’. He totally forgot about the wound

‘Nah, it’s fine,’ Dorian put it off and started to kiss Cailan again who was now more careful with his movements. 

‘Are you sure you want this, Inquisitor?’ Dorian mumbled against his lips.

Gently stroking over Dorian’s cheek, Cailan let go of his lips for a moment. ‘If I didn’t, would I have invited you here?’

‘To be precise, you didn’t invite me, you dragged me here like I was some valuable prey you want only for yourself,’ Dorian answered with a bright smile. ‘So I should be the one to choose if I want to stay or not.’

With a quiet laughter, Cailan poked Dorian into his unscathed shoulder, wriggled himself out of Dorian’s arms and strolled up the stairs to the big room with the crested windows where usually sunlight was floating in, but since it was already evening only a few last rays of the setting sun were shining through, bathing the room in dim orange light. 

Cailan stopped by the balcony door, looking on the mountain ridges that were visible through it. The light made the white tops shine bright and it looked calming and peaceful.

‘Have you made your decision yet?’ the Inquisitor asked, feeling his heart starting to beat faster in anticipation. How long did he imagine this? Being alone with Dorian, knowing he felt the same way ... 

Slow footsteps, rustling clothes, then warm breath in his neck that send shivers down the Inquisitor’s spine immediately. 

‘I have,’ Dorian breathed against Cailan’s skin, making him feel like he was setting his whole body on fire within a heartbeat. Then the mage’s strong arms turned Cailan around, grabbing his hair to pull him closer. Their lips met with a desperate longing and Cailan couldn’t hold himself back a single second anymore. He untied the leather straps on Dorian’s shoulder and felt his own shirt being unbuttoned. A few heartbeats later Cailan’s blue shirt hit the floor with a soft rustling noise. The elf was pulled onto two strong arms while they were still kissing and only a few moments later he felt the cool but soft fabric of his blanket under his back. 

‘Dorian …’ he moaned against the lips of the mage above him. The Tevinter mage disrupted their kiss to look Cailan in the eyes. Blazing flames of desire flared in the otherwise grey eyes which made the Inquisitor pull him closer again, exploring the skin under Dorian’s ear with his lips and tongue. Excited moaning was the sign for Cailan to continue what he was doing. While he made his caressing and go down further to Dorian’s collar bone, the mage’s hand slipped into Cailan’s pants, girding his erection. Without further ado, Cailan pressed his hips closer towards Dorian with an aroused noise. 

‘You are a naughty boy, Inquisitor.’ Dorian’s voice was so damn gorgeous Cailan clinged his fingers into his firm butt and bit his shoulder softly. 

‘Am I?’ he gasped and immediately moaned again while Dorian started to doff his pants off. When he felt a gentle breeze of air stroking the skin on his thighs, he pulled Dorian closer.

‘Inquisitor …’ Dorian’s voice was husky and he sounded completely out of breath. And then there was no holding back anymore. The next few minutes were full of moaning, tingling skins touching and fiery passion overwhelming the two men. 

When his body was about to calm down from this new and exciting experience, Cailan rested his arm on his forehead, looked up to the ceiling and thought about if he had ever felt so truly happy before.

‘I have to apologise to Bull,’ the Inquisitor said with regret in his voice and looked to Dorian who was laying on the left side of the bed. His face was sweaty but he looked as handsome as ever. 

‘The Qunari had worse than an angry emotional elf yelling at him.’

That made Cailan laugh. ‘I bet. But I still need to. It wasn’t nice of me to treat him this way. In fact, he perfectly nailed what was going on.’

‘And still you ran riot in the tavern that is named after you. I bet they are already holding an assembly about the new name.’

How did the mage always know what to say? Everything seemed less complicated when Dorian was around. And Cailan definitely wanted it to stay this way. When he was about to tell Dorian what he was thinking, the mage preempted him.

‘I wonder where this goes, you and I.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Where I come from, anything between two men is just physical. Not taken further. You’d be foolish to hope for more than just a bit of fun.’ The seriousness in the mage’s voice was something Cailan rarely experienced. So he sat up and directly looked at the man next to him.

‘I want more than fun, Dorian.’

Dorian sighed and remained silent for a few heartbeats. Then he whispered, ‘I like you. A lot. More than I should.’

‘So do I.’ Cailan smiled. ‘Let’s take it further then. Our relationship.’

To state that this was exactly what he wanted, the Inquisitor started to kiss Dorian again with a smile.

‘It looks like you calmed down, boss,’ Bull told him the next morning when Dorian and Cailan went to the Herald’s Rest for breakfast. ‘And Dorian, you’re still alive. Good to see.’

‘I’m too pretty to die, you know,’ the mage replied soberly which made Bull laugh.

‘Listen, I’m sorry about yesterday,’ the Inquisitor said and he truly meant it. ‘That was not very nice of me and you deserve to be treated better, Bull. I promise I won’t let that happen again.’

‘Well,’ Bull grinned and raised his eyebrows expressively. ‘You also promised me something else. When are we going to slay that bastard of a dragon?’

Cailan started to laugh and couldn’t stop for a whole minute. Joyfully smiling, he replied, ‘As soon as Dorian feels ready.’ While speaking, he turned around to Dorian. He smiled, leaned towards Cailan and quickly placed a kiss on his lips. Surprised by that, Cailan felt his cheeks blushing. They hadn’t talked about how to handle their relationship in public yet, but Dorian didn’t seem to have any problem with showing that he now belonged to the Inquisitor.

‘I am ready,’ Dorian said, then added more quiet so just Cailan was able to hear it, ‘For everything the future holds.’ 

‘I love you,’ Cailan whispered back with a smile and then took Dorian’s hand to get some private time again with him before they had to prepare themselves for their next adventure.


End file.
